Food hamper and gift assistance
Christmas is meant to be a time of celebration and joy, but if finances are tight, it can be challenging, stressful and isolating.
Every year, local Salvation Army centres and churches give hope to individuals and families in need at Christmas by providing free Christmas food hampers, toys, gifts and gift cards. Christmas hampers are prepared with care using both purchased and donated goods, and shared with those in the community who have fallen on tough times. Due to the impacts of COVID-19, please note your local Salvos might provide help differently, for instance, distributing vouchers instead of food hampers, or help only over the phone.
COVID-19, illness, family crises and other challenging circumstances may have you facing unexpected financial difficulties. If you are unsure whether you have enough food for Christmas, or you don’t know how you will afford presents for your kids, please contact your local Salvation Army. We want you to experience kindness and joy this Christmas. We are committed to giving you non-judgemental and confidential support to help you through this season.
To find out if you are eligible for support this Christmas in the form of food hampers or gifts, reach out to your local Salvos.
Alternatively, if you are in Queensland, NSW or the ACT, you can phone the Salvos Assistance Line on 1300 371 288. We offer emergency food hampers throughout the year and other urgent financial assistance such as grocery and fuel vouchers, clothing and furniture vouchers, and food hampers.
Frequently asked questions
Here at the Salvos, we want to help anyone in need. If the thought of putting food on the table or spending money at Christmas is causing you stress and you are unsure how you will afford gifts for your children, please contact us using the above search form. We can see if you are eligible for a free Christmas food hamper or gift assistance. You may also like to speak to someone about our financial counselling programs to help you with budgeting or debt management.
Whenever possible, we want to give parents the dignity of choosing Christmas gifts for their own child among the purchased gifts and community donations. We do not wrap gifts for this reason. Please note, all items are new and in good condition. We also sometimes have gift vouchers so parents can experience the joy of shopping for their child.
We try to distribute our food hampers, toys and gifts before Christmas, so families are ready to celebrate Christmas Day. The sooner you get in touch with us, the sooner we can help take the stress out of Christmas for you.